Chuck vs The Rings
by mrsreynolds
Summary: "The first time Chuck has to wear a wedding ring, it kind of freaks him out." An exploration of Chuck's thoughts while wearing wedding rings. Sorry, awful summary! Spoilers up to 3x14. Oneshot


_Hey guys! Only one more day till brand new Chuck! Except I live in the UK so it's a bit longer to wait for me :( _

_As always, huge thanks to anyone who reviewed/favourited my other stories._

_I don't own Chuck. If I did it would be shown everywhere in the world at the same time. And the whole world would watch it._

_This is just a fluffy one shot looking at Chuck's thoughts about wearing a wedding ring (for one reason or another ;))_

* * *

The first time Chuck has to wear a wedding ring, it kind of freaks him out.

He is still struggling to define his relationship with Sarah, and being told he's got to shack up with her _in the suburbs_ is all a bit too much for him to process. It doesn't help that Ellie falls on the house-sitting cover like some kind of strung out wedding junkie . He'll be glad when Devon's put the ring on her finger and the whole crazy business is over. Chuck loves Ellie more than anything, but she's kind of hard to be around right now.

He sighs as the (fake) car turns into the (fake) driveway, drawing him ever closer to the (fake) life he's been ordered to inhabit. Trying not to panic, he waves at all his Stepford neighbours and crosses the threshold of his (fake) house. Chuck's eyes bug out at the array of 'Sarah n Chuck' photos displayed in the hallway and the panic threatens to overwhelm him.

And then he sees her, wielding the biggest bowl of potato salad he's ever seen. Her clothes are different, but she's still the beautiful, strong, committed woman he knows and…cares for. He starts to relax; Sarah always makes him feel so _safe, _but then she's handing him a giant platter of miscellaneous meat and she's propelling him outside. _Towards_ the Stepford people.

_Oh, this is bad. This is really bad._

The following morning, Chuck ambles sleepily downstairs to find her cooking him breakfast. And it looks like she's enjoying herself.

Chuck knows that this isn't real; that the suburbs are not their destiny (thank God!); that as soon as their mission is over, they'll return to their uniquely indefinable relationship.

But while he chews on the best omelette he's ever tasted and watches her feeding treats to their (fake) dog, for the first time in this assignment, Chuck feels something real.

When she asks him to return the ring, he can barely bring himself to take it from his finger.

* * *

The second time Chuck wears a wedding ring, it's not a wedding ring at all. It's a brass ring from a lampshade, and they're running away from their old lives, but Chuck's (almost) perfectly happy. He's with the woman he loves at last, and they are going to do whatever it takes to be together.

And if that means quitting the spy game, then that's OK with him.

At least he thinks it is.

As he slides the ring onto Sarah's finger, he finds himself saying the words "Mrs Charles."

It dawns on him at that precise moment that he wants so much to finish that name, to be able to call her Mrs Charles Bartowski. After all, she's giving up everything to be with him. With _him._

He's pretty sure that someday, he will.

* * *

The third time Chuck wears a wedding ring, he is standing opposite the new Mrs Charles Bartowski, his smile lighting up the entire congregation. Her hand is cold in his (it turns out that sometimes Sarah _does_ get scared, after all), but her smile is as radiant as his own.

He grins at Ellie and she gives him a watery smile in return. Those pregnancy hormones are really taking their toll, and she's been sniffing quietly throughout the simple service. Devon laughingly hands her another fresh tissue then shows his true colours by gently wiping the tears from her face.

Morgan and his date stand opposite them, and Chuck's pretty sure that Morgan's eyes are a bit on the misty side too. His date squeezes his hand fondly, and Chuck swears that he can hear Casey growl even from ten feet away. He's always known that Morgan is a pretty brave (or is that reckless?) guy, but he can't help feeling that choosing to date the daughter of a government trained killer is borderline insanity.

Chuck's gaze settles on the father in question. Casey has spent the entire ceremony trying to look disgusted and failing spectacularly. Chuck's pretty sure that most of his grunts have been of the approving kind.

It's kind of hard to tell with Casey.

Standing beside Casey is General Beckman. She makes a pretty imposing wedding guest, but insists on attending as it's 'government protocol'. Chuck may not be the most experienced of spies, but Beckman can't hide the twinkle in her eye, even from him.

Protocol my ass.

Chuck notices that everyone is looking at him expectantly, and he realises that while he's been looking around at his unconventional family (because that's just what these people are to him), the minister has been talking the entire time. Sarah raises an eyebrow and smiles that forgiving, accepting smile he's seen so many times. In the past he would have earned that smile (at the end of the mother of all lectures) for not staying in the car. But now they are equal partners; a perfect combination of Chuck's brains and Sarah's balls. Now, she reserves that smile for when he forgets to pick up the dry cleaning, or spends all night playing Halo: Reach with Morgan.

"You're supposed to kiss me now, Chuck," she whispers, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.

Chuck shivers, even though it's a warm afternoon and the sun is dancing in the spray from the courtyard fountain.

"Okay," he whispers back, offering her a lopsided grin. "Are you ready, Mrs Bartowski?"

Sarah's eyes flash dangerously. "Chuck, if you don't hurry up I'm going to kiss Morgan instead."

Chuck shakes his head in amusement and frames her face with his hands. The ring on his wedding finger flashes in the sunlight and Chuck's grin softens.

"I love you, Mrs Bartowski," he whispers.

And kisses her.

* * *

_A/N this is slightly different in style to my usual stuff so any feedback would be great! x_


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